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Old 23-05-2018, 11:44   #1
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How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

Hi All,

In articles that deal with the breaking strengths of various knots, the venerable cleat hitch seems to have been left out of the dialogue. By how much does a cleat hitch reduce the breaking strength of its line compared to, say, a bowline? Anyone know, or have thoughts?
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Old 23-05-2018, 11:51   #2
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

It's not there to hold any strength to speak of as it's the eights around the cleat for that. The hitch is just to prevent the line in question to open itself from the cleat.


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Old 23-05-2018, 12:47   #3
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pirate Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

As strong as the line you use..
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Old 23-05-2018, 12:54   #4
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

Around our marina, it's as strong as the lag bolts that hold the cleat to the rotten fingers.
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Old 23-05-2018, 13:06   #5
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

as strong as the line you use and as strong as the affixment of said cleat into the dock. i have, to date, popped cleats but not knots or lines.
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Old 23-05-2018, 15:02   #6
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

Danielamartindm,

I saw that you have a catamaran there, and it may be lacking in backing plates for its cleats. If so, deal with that, too.

What you want is line that is strong enough to hold your boat safely, through the upcoming hurricane season, with chafing gear wherever line goes around a cleat. It does mean you have to carry a lot of line, because you will want to double them if you leave the boat for a named storm. We left our boat (12 tonnes, mono, not prepared for a cyclone) in a windy area for 7 months one time, and one of the dock lines, which did not have chafe protection, had chafed through 2 of its 3 strands on our return; and our friend who watched the boat for us had had to put a doubler on one of the stern lines, which he saw with only one strand chafed through. Those were 16 mm diameter, 3 strand nylon, and we had not doubled them. If your boat is going to be in a marina, you may be able to get permission to install a couple more dock cleats at your expense, so that you have more attachment points for your lines.

However you decide to do this (I can imagine using dyneema tails for the dock portion), having put an eye splice with an s/s thimble onto the nylon. Or, you could use stretchy line and dyneema soft shackle then to the cleats, get more lines on a cleat that way.... You will need to have stretchy line, or introduce something else in the tie up system for yield, because an un-stretchy line like dyneema will jerk the cleats out of your hull, or out of the dock.

Your boat might need heavier line than we use, because the windage will be more of a factor.

It wasn't part of the question, but consider larger fenders, too, and more of them. People's boats tend to pop the smaller ones in storms.

The cleat hitches themselves had no problems, tied with one full round turn, and two half hitches.

Ann
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Old 23-05-2018, 15:11   #7
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

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Originally Posted by TeddyDiver View Post
It's not there to hold any strength to speak of as it's the eights around the cleat for that. The hitch is just to prevent the line in question to open itself from the cleat.


Teddy

The "eights around the cleat" are part of the cleat hitch.


Are you talking about a final "weather hitch" finishing off a cleat hitch?
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Old 23-05-2018, 15:28   #8
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

I "sort of" agree with previous previous posters. A cleat hitch is "almost" as strong as the line itself because there are no sharp turns or highly loaded pinch points (it's mainly friction which makes a cleat hitch effective). I'd put its relative percentage strength in the high 90's. Similar to a lightermans/capstan/bollard hitch (useful when you want to use a winch as an attachment point in lieu of a cleat).


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Old 23-05-2018, 16:46   #9
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

I reckon its chafe that reduces line strength.
How its hitched on usually doesn't matter.
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Old 23-05-2018, 16:52   #10
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

Quote:
Originally Posted by StuM View Post
I "sort of" agree with previous previous posters. A cleat hitch is "almost" as strong as the line itself because there are no sharp turns or highly loaded pinch points (it's mainly friction which makes a cleat hitch effective). I'd put its relative percentage strength in the high 90's. Similar to a lightermans/capstan/bollard hitch (useful when you want to use a winch as an attachment point in lieu of a cleat).


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I've tested these with a load cell; Stu gets the gold star. Not as strong as the line, but reasonably close. It will break at the cleat in preference to the splice.


However, I would NOT bet on a winch mounting being as strong as the line. I've pulled them out of decks before.
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Old 23-05-2018, 21:57   #11
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

Quote:
Originally Posted by StuM View Post
The "eights around the cleat" are part of the cleat hitch.
Just the last one to be precise..
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Old 23-05-2018, 22:35   #12
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

The OP's question was fair.


Now we descend in to the silliness that is a cleat hitch thread....
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Old 24-05-2018, 04:12   #13
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

Nevermind, read the original post wrong.
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Old 24-05-2018, 06:31   #14
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

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Originally Posted by Bill Seal View Post
Around our marina, it's as strong as the lag bolts that hold the cleat to the rotten fingers.
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Old 24-05-2018, 12:50   #15
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Re: How strong is a Cleat Hitch?

In a storm, a cleat hitch is strong enough to pull the cleat out of the deck of the boat or the dock, whichever is weaker! If that doesn't happen, nylon lines will usually overheat and part somewhere in the middle between the boat and the dock before the cleat hitch gives way.
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